March 2011

This is a very flavorful recipe for baked lamb shanks by Jamie Oliver. I agree with Jamie that these lamb shanks would make a very nice main course for a dinner party. Or you know, for a week of batch cooking. These lamb shanks were a real treat. We served them with a side of pan-fried Brussels sprouts with caramelized onions. Keep reading…

Placebos without Deception

I recently heard about the “Placebos without Deception” study, “A Randomized controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Prior to that study, the placebo effect was thought to work only when people weren’t aware that it was being used. A person was given a sugar pill instead of actual medication, and they got better because they believed it was the real thing. There is of course an ethical roadblock when experimenting with the placebo effect. In the study, patients were taught about the placebo effect and were then actually told that they were being given a sugar pill. They were instructed to treat the pill as if it was real medication. Surprisingly, 59% of the patients experienced relief from symptoms. Some attributed this to the ritual of taking medication. Others, simply to the mind’s amazing healing abilities. The placebo effect is very important when it comes to mind-body healing because it’s an acknowledgement by the medical community of the mind’s ability to heal. Keep reading…

This recipe is a primalized version of Rachel Ray’s Roasted Entrée Meatballs (base, stuffing), and makes for great batch cooking. The meatballs ooze cheesy goodness and have a gooey surprise inside. If you’re not a fan of quite so much cheese, you could replace the cheese cubes inside with half a hardboiled egg. Keep reading…